WII stresses on resettlement programmes, flags low ungulate population in Bhadra
In the recently released report- Status of Ungulates in the Tiger Habitats of India- by WII, the team of scientists and experts flagged the low Sambar Deer population in north of Bhadra reservoir, pointing to the need for an investigation pertaining to the connectivity of the population.
The report also pointed to the abundant population of Wild Pigs in southern part of Kali Tiger Reserve, adding that the management should encourage voluntary resettlement of villages inside the reserve forest followed by habitat restoration to make more inviolate space for the ungulate population of the area. They said this will be held increase pre-predator population.
The report stated that the ungulate population is in abundance along with the western part of the Western Ghats. It also noted to the high density of Spotted Deer (Chital) inside and outside tiger reserves. Chital density has found to be the highest in the Bandipur, Mudumalai, Sathyamangalam cluster and its surrounding areas. Its noted to be decreasing in density in the southern areas.
The Sambar Deer density is moderate in most part of Western Ghats. Its density is the highest in the Periyar- Satyamangala Tiger Reserve cluster, forest areas between Mudumalai and Silent valley national park and from Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary to BRT Tiger Reserve. The forests of Annamalai and Kali have the least density of Sambar Deer.
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Asiatic wild dog spotted in Assam region decades after local extinction
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'This was the only instance where we captured a dhole on camera in the landscape during the study period,' said Badola who conducted the study with co-authors Mujahid Ahamad, Jyotish Ranjan Deka, Priyanka Borah, Umar Saeed and Syed Ainul Hussain. The study, published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa, was funded by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Distribution of dholes The dhole (Cuon alpinus) is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List and a Schedule II species in the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, where hunting or trade of dholes is prohibited and violations can attract penalties. Currently, the dhole's distribution is confined to central and eastern Asia, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Although dholes have been extensively studied in India, studies in northeastern India remain relatively limited. 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Secondary sources suggest occurrences in the Patheria Hills Reserve Forest in Karimganj district,' added the paper. Source population The presence of dholes in Kaziranga Karbi Anglong Landscape suggests there may be nearby source populations, said the paper. One such source population is in Ntanki National Park in Nagaland. Such dispersal is possible through the fragmented habitats of the Karbi Anglong District, which may act as a corridor facilitating movement between populations. 'Protected areas such as Morat Longri, northern Karbi Anglong, and eastern Karbi Anglong serve as ideal habitat patches that could support dispersal and provide stepping-stone habitats for wide-ranging species,' the paper noted. These protected areas and surrounding forests are likely important for dhole populations to survive and stay connected in the region, said the paper. 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However, there has been a presence of dholes in the Reserve Forests of Karbi Anglong,' he told Mongabay India. Speaking on whether there will be a population estimate of dholes in this landscape, Arun Vignesh, Divisional Forest Officer, Eastern Range of Kaziranga National Park, told Mongabay India, 'The presence of a dhole has just been confirmed from the study. However, it is too early to conduct a population estimate.' When asked if there have been any sightings of the species in Kaziranga National Park, he said, 'None of our forest staff has reported presence of any dhole in KNP during patrolling. However, there were some unconfirmed sighting reports from villagers in fringe areas.' 'KNP landscape is a mixture of grasslands, woodlands and wetlands and it should provide good habitat for dholes. Also, dholes hunt in packs and with the presence of other predators like tigers and leopards in KNP, it is to be seen what impact they have on the prey base in this region,' added Vignesh. .
Time of India
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State deploys ‘Gaja Mitras' to tackle human-jumbo conflicts
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